Our Instructors

Gina Vardi

Gina Vardi is the owner of Flow Pilates and Yoga Center and is a certified Pilates instructor in Pilates Mat, Standing Pilates and Pilates Apparatus through the Physical Mind Institute, NYC. She completed her training through the B-Fit Pilates Center in Tampa, under the instruction of Charlotte Addington-Weikel. She has a background in ballet and gymnastics and has been teaching Pilates for 10 years including the B-fit Pilates Center where she mentored instructors in training. Her continuing education includes The Method Pilates, STOTT Pilates and has worked with Pilates Master Trainers including Elizabeth Larkam and Pat Guyton. She also holds a B.S degree in Marketing.

Gina has also been practicing Yoga for over 20 years and is a 300 hr ERYT Registered Yoga Teacher. She completed her training in Vinyassa and Ayurveda through the Yoga Energy Studio in St. Petersburg, FL under the instruction of Sylvie Binge and Tim Gainley. She also attained her Pre-natal yoga certification through Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts under the instruction of  Jacci Reynolds, founder of the Pranakriya Pre-natal Yoga Program. Gina loves the fact that Yoga can calm her mind and strengthen her body at the same time and feels strongly that there is at type of yoga for everyone.

Gina first got into Pilates and Yoga through her own rehabilitation process due to a car accident which left her with a herniated disk in her back and bulging disks in her neck at the age of 25. She restored the health of her spine on her own through Pilates and decided to become an instructor. “I am walking proof that Pilates works!” “I not only rehabilitated myself but I transformed my body. I want to share that with others and let them know that Pilates and Yoga are great for everyone!”

Gina has also lived in Taiwan where she taught English to children and studied Yoga and Chinese for a year. While teaching in Taiwan she discovered how much she loved helping people and knew that’s what she wanted to do wherever her career path led her.

In addition, Gina Is working on becoming a Certified Instructor Trainer through Power Pilates NYC.

Kristin Ripley

Kristin Ripley is a Tampa native, and has been active in sports and fitness throughout her life. She was a competition level dancer with Dancemakers School of the Dance for 9 years. She was involved with various sports such as cheerleading, tennis, track & field, and volleyball as a child at Carrollwood Day School and as a teenager at the Academy of Holy Names & Sickles High School.

Kristin has always found a great interest in the human body and how to keep it healthy. She graduated from Remington College with a degree in Medical Assisting in 2004, and thought she had found her passion for helping people. After suffering from multiple lower back injuries, Kristin began taking Pilates to build core strength and increase flexibility. Once she experienced the unique and beneficial workout Pilates gave her, she realized she had found her true passion and decided to make a career change.

Kristin earned her certification in Pilates Mat in January 2005, followed by Pilates Apparatus Mat in 2005 through the PhysicalMind Institute. The knowledge she received from her Medical Assisting practice has helped a great deal with understanding individual client ailments and needs. Kristin had her first child in March of 2011 and her second child in August of 2013. Throughout her pregnancies, she continued her individual Pilates practice 3-4 times per week, and continued training clients until 3 weeks before her due date. Prenatal Pilates is a great way to stay in shape during your pregnancy, to help with labor, and to ensure the body's ability to bounce back post-pregnancy!

"Teaching people the importance of Pilates has brought so much happiness to my life. I love seeing people change their bodies and feel better! Clients walk in stressed out from their day, and walk out feeling stretched, strengthened, and happier than when they came in. That makes me smile!"

Lisa O' Connor

Lisa O’Connor began practicing yoga in 2009 upon moving to Tampa from Atlanta, GA. As a runner, she benefitted from the physical aspects of yoga. Over time, Lisa recognized the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga. Physical fitness is Lisa’s daily meditation, providing her with energy, mental clarity and an inner joy that is passed on to those she encounters. Before becoming a stay at home mom, Lisa worked as a Business Analyst and Technical Project Manager at Equifax, Inc. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Technology, a Master of Business Administration and completed her Hatha Yoga Teacher Certification (RYT-200) in 2017. She enjoys exercise, reading, travel, and volunteering at her children’s school. For Lisa her yoga journey has just begun and hopes you will join her for a class. As Eleanor Roosevelt eloquently stated, “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

Christina Natoli

A desire to leave the rat race of banking and finance motivated Christina to find a career that would allow her to share her passion for guiding people to find a path for healthy living and a deeper connection to their inner workings.

After years of doing yoga for fitness, Christina began to notice a shift in her awareness of the connection between movement and breath. Curiosity about this connection ignited a spark inside her to learn about yogic philosophy and meditation and begin her journey as a teacher. Along the way, Christina has learned that yoga is much more than asana and that we are much more than our physical bodies. She believes that time spent on your yoga mat is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and thoroughly enjoys guiding people into bliss.

Having spent the last 25 years in the area with her husband and two children, Christina considers herself a Tampa native. She loves to travel, read and spend time with family and friends.

A Yoga Alliance certified RYT 200 yoga instructor, Christina is trained in Classical Hatha and influenced by other styles of yoga including Vinyasa and Gentle Yoga. Her goal is to become a a certified yoga therapist within the next 5 years. She looks forward to meeting you on the mat!

Leora Victoria

Leora Victoria a Dallas, Texas native has spent the majority of her adult life in New York City where she attended New York University and earned a dual Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Studio Art. For the past ten years, Leora’s passion for the arts led her to teach Art to adults and children. Leora has worked in the Visual Arts arena curating galleries and creating her own very large scale artwork from a young age. As a young girl and through High School and College, Leora performed as a competitive dancer and immersed herself in the visual and performance arts. She later moved to Los Angeles, California with her two daughters and discovered her love for Yoga, during a tumultuous time of her life. Leora has been beyond fortunate to be inspired and led by some of the most profound Yoga teachers such as Dylan Werner, Matt Phippen, Aarona Lea and many other talented and dedicated teachers who have helped guide her on this journey so far. Leora has submerged herself in an Ayuervedic lifestyle incorporating essential oils, Tibetan singing bowls, Crystal healing, Chakra balancing, Pranayama, meditation and actively takes pride and works on her Yoga education and journey on a daily basis. Leora is a 500 hour Certified Yoga Teacher and Reiki Master and Energy Healer. She studied and completed her teacher trainings in Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Chair, and Aerial Yoga and Reiki Masters at the Heartwood Retreat Center in Bradenton, Florida. She has very recently relocated to Palm Harbor, Florida to be closer to family and is very excited about getting involved in this community. Leora firmly believes in the power of connection, and the potential of healing oneself is connected to healing others. With gratitude she has found her life’s purpose in healing the mind and body through the practice of Yoga. Leora very much looks forward to guiding and sharing that experience with you! Namaste.

Tia Mukherjee

Tia discovered yoga during the most challenging period in her life. The philosophy and practices of yoga helped initiate a shift toward deeper connection and meaning in her life. Tia holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Care Administration and works full time as a Corporate Systems Trainer. Tia has used pranayama, meditation and yoga asana as tools to reduce anxiety allowing her to stay grounded, embrace public speaking and improve mental clarity. Her mission is to introduce the tools of yoga to others as a way to awaken true awareness of inner strength, resilience and wholeness. Tia strongly believes that yoga is for everyone and provides the tools for self-study, self-love, self-awareness and transformation toward each individuals highest potential. Tia completed her 200 and 300 RYT certifications at the Lotus Pond in Tampa FL. Tia teaches slow flow, beginners, restorative and gentle yoga. Tia is a certified meditation teacher and incorporates meditation and yoga nidra in her classes. Expect to move through each class with freedom, explore stretching, strength and mobility, while calming and nurturing the mind and energetic body. Tia is a mother to 3 children and absorbs every moment she can with her family. She loves cooking, reading nonfiction, and jogging outdoors. While she is a New York native, she has grown to love the beaches and has set her roots in the tropics where she can soak in as much sunshine as possible.